Hassan: Four Police officials posted at the District Sub-Jail here on Wednesday were suspended for dereliction of duty after it was found during a raid that the prisoners were in the possession of drugs and mobile phones.

The suspended police officers were identified as Superintendent of Police of Hassan sub-jail Suresh, Jailers Qutubuddin Desai, Jadav and Patil.

The incident reportedly came to light after a prisoner made a video from inside the jail and it went viral, in the background of which the police raided late night on August 19 and seized 18 mobile phones, ganja, cigarettes, batteries and chargers.

The Director General of Police of Jail issued an order suspending four officers on the grounds of negligence of duty by the officers.

Belthangady: In a recent operation, officers from the Uppinangady forest department arrested three individuals who were engaged in the illegal hunting of deer along the banks of the Kapila river at Battadi, situated within the Dadantamale reserve forest of Patrame village.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Sudesh Patrame, Puneeth, and Kotyappa Gowda, while another individual named Lokesh remains at large, as confirmed by the authorities.

The Forest Department’s night patrolling team became aware of the incident involving the accused hunting deer near the Kapila river within the Dadantamale Battadi region under the jurisdiction of the Uppinangadi Forest Department during the night hours of Tuesday and carried the operation resulting in the arrested on three.

A case in this regard has been registered and further investigations are underway.

Dubai: The ruler of Dubai, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, conveyed his congratulations to India for the successful accomplishment of Chandrayaan-3, the lunar exploration mission.

Taking to his official Twitter handle on Wednesday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum shared his appreciation, stating, “Congratulations to our friends in India for the successful landing on the moon. Nations are built through perseverance, India continues to make history.”

Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission, marked another milestone in the country’s ambitious space endeavors. The successful landing garnered praise from around the world, highlighting ISRO’s dedication to scientific exploration and technological advancement.

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has placed under suspension a special sessions judge in connection with a “direction” given by him to police for registering an FIR against Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and several others, saying the judge acted in “undue haste”.

Official sources in Hyderabad and people aware of the development in Delhi said the suspension was initiated on the administrative side against K Jaya Kumar, the judge of special sessions court for trial of MPs/MLAs, after a complaint was lodged with the high court by a senior official of the Election Commission.

Based on a private complaint filed under Section 200 of the CrPC by Raghavendra Raju, the judicial officer “acted in undue haste” without conducting any preliminary enquiry and without recording the statement of the complainant, the high court said.

Thus, there was a serious lapse in the procedure followed by the officer while discharging his duties, the sources said citing the order issued by the high court on the administrative side.

The FIR was registered on August 11 against Telangana Excise Minister V Srinivas Goud, CEC Kumar and a host of other officials after being referred by the sessions court for allegedly “tampering” Goud’s 2018 state assembly election affidavit.

The matter was referred to police by the sessions court on a private complaint which alleged that Goud, MLA from Mahabubnagar, had “tampered” with the election affidavit by suppressing facts.

While Goud was named as the first accused, CEC Kumar and several other officials were made co-accused, who the complainant alleged had colluded with the minister and closed the election affidavit without taking any further action.

The judicial officer was placed under suspension by the high court in exercise of the Telangana Civil Services Rules, 1991 “in larger public interest”, the sources said citing the order.

After Vikram lander soft landed on the south pole of the Moon, making Chandrayaan-3 a success, the crowd went up in a loud cheer. Scores of people, including students, senior citizens, and some former ISRO scientists along with their family members, who had gathered at the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in Bengaluru, were seen cheering in celebration, congratulating each other. The atmosphere was nothing less than a festival.

A retired ISRO scientist, who was part of the audience at the planetarium on Wednesday, said emotionally, “Remarkable moment for ISRO.” N S Bose Raju, Science and Technology Minister, who was also at the planetarium, watched the soft landing telecasted on the big screen, along with other citizens.

“The entire nation was looking forward to this historical moment, we are proud of our scientists who made this possible. We are mulling to come up with an action plan to imbibe scientific temperament among students at a young age.”

Science enthusiasts who had also come in large numbers termed it as a proud and emotional moment. They also look at the achievement as a benchmark for more miles to be achieved. Shalini, a science enthusiast, said, “We cried over the failure of Chandrayaan 2. Now tears of joy flowed upon the success of Chandrayaan-3.” She added that they are filled with immense pride for the scientists and the Prime Minister for his unwavering support and dedication. The air across the city, where ISRO headquarters is located, reverberated with the voice of people chanting “East or West, India is the best!”

JOHANNESBURG: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was warmly welcomed upon his arrival in South Africa on Tuesday on a three-day official visit during which he will attend the 15th BRICS summit and hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders.

Modi was welcomed by South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile at Waterkloof Air Force Base where he received a ceremonial guard of honour.

“PM Narendra modi touches down at the Waterkloof Air Force Base, South Africa. Warmly received by Deputy President PM Ashatile of South Africa. Accorded a ceremonial welcome upon arrival,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Modi is visiting the African country from August 22 to 24 at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

South Africa is hosting the first in-person summit of BRICS comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, since 2019.

“PM @narendramodi touches down at the Waterkloof Air Force Base, South Africa.

Warmly received by Deputy President @PMashatile of South Africa.

Accorded a ceremonial welcome upon arrival,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a post on X.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to South Africa entails participation in the 15th BRICS Summit and engagements with leaders of BRICS and invited countries in plurilateral and bilateral settings, he added.

A large number of Indian community members, including activists of the Pretoria Hindu Seva Samaj and the local chapter of the BAPS Swaminarayan organisation, greeted the prime minister.

Modi then left for Sandton Sun Hotel in Johannesburg, the venue of the BRICS Summit.

At the hotel, he met with local and expatriate Indian community members ahead of the BRICS Business Forum Leaders’ Dialogue.

The Indian community members carrying national flags and musical instruments welcomed Modi upon his arrival at the hotel with chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.

“Gratitude to South Africa’s Indian community for the special welcome in Johannesburg,” Modi posted on platform X along with some pictures of his interaction with the diaspora.

Two women diaspora members tied ‘rakhi’ around the wrist of Modi ahead of Raksha Bandhan, falling on August 30.

Earlier in his departure statement in New Delhi, Modi said BRICS has been pursuing a strong cooperation agenda across various sectors.

“We value that BRICS has become a platform for discussing and deliberating on issues of concern for the entire Global South, including development imperatives and reform of the multilateral system,” he said.

This summit will provide a useful opportunity for BRICS to identify future areas of cooperation and review institutional development, he said.

Modi posted on X that he will also take part in the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue events.

The Summit will give the platform to discuss issues of concern for the Global South and other areas of development.

The BRICS bloc – comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of the global trade.

Over 20 heads of state from Africa and the Middle East have also been invited to attend.

A number of them have applied to become members of BRICS, which is one of the matters on the agenda for the Summit.

Modi said in the statement that he looked forward to interacting with a number of guest countries that have been invited to participate in this event.

“I also look forward to holding bilateral meetings with some of the Leaders present in Johannesburg,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend the BRICS summit virtually due to him facing possible arrest in terms of an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant if he lands in South Africa.

From South Africa, the prime minister will travel to Greece on August 25 at the invitation of his Greece counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

It will be his first visit to this ancient land.

“I have the honour to be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Greece after 40 years,” he said.

Contacts between our two civilizations stretch back over two millennia and, in modern times, our ties have been strengthened by shared values of democracy, rule of law and pluralism, he said.

Cooperation in diverse sectors such as trade and investment, defence, and cultural and people-to-people contacts have been bringing our two countries closer, he added.

He looked forward to visiting Greece and opening a new chapter in our multifaceted relationship, Modi said, adding that he will also be interacting with the Indian community there.

Nasheman.in

VISAKHAPATNAM: Renowned mathematician and statistician Dr. Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, better known as CR Rao breathed his last on Wednesday at the age of 102.

Born into a Telugu family at Hadagali in Karnataka’s Bellary on September 10, 1920, Dr Rao’s academic journey began at Gudur in Andhra Pradesh. He studied at Nuzvid, Nandigama, and earned a degree in mathematics from Andhra University in Visakhapatnam.

Besides the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, the mathematician was also honoured with the International Prize in Statistics, often referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize in Statistics’, in 2023. Dr Rao’s bond with Vizag and Andhra University remained strong.

Fondly recalling his association with the statistician, Andhra University, College of Science and Technology, (AUCST) principal Srinivas Rao said, “I first met Dr Rao in December 1981 when he graced the varsity’s Department of Statistics for unveiling the portrait of Professor Kandula Nagabhushanam—the founder of the department.”

“Back then, I was a second-year MSc student, designated to assist him during his stay in Visakhapatnam. This marked the genesis of our association. From 1981 to 1986, Dr. Rao frequented our department during his visits to India. His affection for his alma mater was abundantly evident,” he recounted. Describing Dr Rao as remarkably unassuming and humble, Srinivas noted that he exhibited a genuine passion for engaging with young minds whenever he found the opportunity.

Shedding light on the legacy that the mathematician has left behind, the principal said Dr Rao’s significant contributions include a Rs 1 lakh donation in 1982 to establish the CV Naidu Gold Medal, which is awarded to the top-ranking student in the M.Sc Statistics department every year. Between 2016 and 2018, Dr Rao donated Rs 12 lakh to establish two endowment lectures, including the Padma Vibushan Prof. CR Rao Endowment Lecture, at the University. As a testament to his deep-rooted ties, he contributed Rs 1 lakh to Mrs. AVN College, also his alma mater.

Notably, GVMC has named the road adjacent to the AU Statistics department as ‘CR Rao Marg’. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed grief over the passing away of Dr. CR Rao and condoled the bereaved family.